[ Bengia Ajum ]
As soon as he entered the room there was a jaw dropping moment and everyone was in awe as he started talking football. I had the rare opportunity to not only listen but also a chance to briefly speak to legendary football coach Arsene Wenger, who managed one of the most popular football clubs in the world, Arsenal.
Wenger won the premier league thrice and his rivalry with another legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson captivated world football for long. Even though I am a lifelong fan of football club Barcelona, I had goosebumps while briefly interacting and taking pictures with Wenger.
He arrived in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, on 21 November to inaugurate a premier talent harnessing football academy that will be managed by the world governing body of the sport, FIFA. Wenger is currently the FIFA’s global chief of football development.
This was his first visit to India, and he said that he is surprised that a country with immense potential like India is still not making progress in football.
“This is quite shocking for me. This might be happening due to failure to tap the talent at the right age. Hopefully the initiative of the FIFA, in collaboration with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), will bring fruitful results in the days to come,” said Wenger.
He said also that the foundation should be so strong that not a single talent goes to waste. “In France, our system is so robust that no talent goes to waste. The talented players will somehow be discovered by the scouts. We need to work in a similar manner in India,” he added.
Furthermore, Wenger said that physical condition does not really matter for success on the football field. “I do not believe this theory that an Indian player’s physical condition is not good enough for football. One of the most talented football players the world has seen is former Barcelona midfielder Xavi. He was not physically strong but his reading of the game was way ahead of others. Indian players are very talented and they just need proper training and better facilities,” said Wenger.
He has been the longest serving manager of Arsenal, and was so synonymous with the club that supporters often used to think that Arsenal was named after Arsene. Therefore it was quite natural for me to quickly ask him about his former beloved club.
I asked Wenger for his take on the current Arsenal side, and his swift answer was, “I am here on FIFA duty and will only talk about it.” Then he started posing for pictures with a select group of people who had an audience with him in the tennis centre of Bhubaneswar’s famous Kaling sports complex.
Often referred to as a professor for his deep study of football, Wenger is extremely down to earth and a very humble person. Unlike the serious Arsenal manager that we were used to watching on TV, in reality Wenger is an altogether different person. But once he starts talking about football, the ‘professor’ in Wenger comes out.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to interact with legendary Arsene Wenger, and the picture that I clicked with him will now adorn the wall of my house. Thank you, Mr Wenger, for the brief but beautiful memories.
